A power supply unit is one of the most crucial components and is considered as an important task not only for the PC builder but also for customers. You should purchase a premium power supply unit irrespective of whether you are building a new PC or upgrading an existing system. A PSU is the direct source of energy for the computer and hence the brand should be superior. Otherwise, the internal components will fail causing serious damage to the system.
If you work with a high-performance CPU or GPU with less PSU, then the overall work will be impacted hence getting this information on ul listed vs ul recognized power supply is useful. The whole process is complicated because you will have to try and match several PC components into a single unit. Nowadays, you have plenty of CPU and GPU combinations and hence there will be difficulty. In this article, we will examine the ultimate PSU hierarchy 2022, which enables you to select a right choice for your new computer.
Table of Contents
Ranking System
The Ranking System hierarchy is based on performance and efficiency. It is to be noted that the 80 plus rating is required when you talk about ultimate PSU. These rating are a kind of certification created to signify that a power supply is at least 80% efficiency at 20%, 50% and 100% loads. The 6 different certificates such as regular, bronze, silver, gold, platinum and titanium denote PSU’s efficiency. You should pick a maximum of 2 modes per manufacturer in each tier so that you can arrive at a conclusion during purchase stage.
The PSUs in each tier has been divided to two categories such as multi-rail and single-rail respectively. The main difference between these two categories is the total number of overcurrent protection circuits. Tech enthusiasts make use of the multi-rail for power supply units with multiple OCP circuits. The single-rail PSUs make use of one OCP circuit. You should note that OCP circuits have no impact on performance. The difference in protection is minimal and manufacturers build single-rail PSUs to offer best possible protection. The multi-rail PSUs are useful only for PSU/PC enthusiasts.
S Tier
The S Tier is reserved for the enthusiast-class. The power supply units in this tier carry an 80+ Gold, Platinum or Titanium rating. However, you should note that PSUs with titanium rating are not available on the market and are reserved for very high-performance systems. Hence, these PSUs are not required unless you are willing to overclock premium CPU and GPU.
There is a general saying that high-end PSUs could vanish because of the energy efficiency competition between Nvidia, AMD ad Intel. It is to be noted that GPUs such as RTX 2080 and RTX 2090 have an overall power draw of up to 300W. Going forward, we require PSUs with 800W, 900W and 1000W respectively to accommodate the advanced CPU and FPU specifications. The list of Multi-Rail PSUs is mentioned below
Antec – High Current Pro Platinum
BeQuiet – Dark Power Pro P11, Straight Power 11 Platinum/Gold
Bitfenix – Whisper
Cooler Master – V-Platinum 2019
Corsair – AXi & HX Platinum
Deepcool / Gamer Storm – DQ-M
Delta – GM
Enermax – Platimax D.F
EVGA – Supernova NEX-G
LEPA – MaxPlatinum
NZXT – E-series
Seasonic – SSP-RT
Wentai – Aidan
Following are the list of Single-Rail PSUs.
Abkoncore – CR Platinum
Abysm – Morpheo
ADATA/XPG – Core Reactor
Aerocool – Project 7
Andyson – GX
Antec – Signature Titanium
Asus – ROG Thor
Chieftec / Chieftronic – PowerplayPlatinum
Cooler Master – Masterwatt Maker MiJ/V-platinum
Corsair – AX Titanium/RMx 2018
Cougar – GX-F (Aurum)
Delta – GPS-HB
Enermax – Platimax Maxtytan
EVGA – Supernova GS/Supernova T2
Fractal Design – Ion+ Platinum
FSP – PTM
Gamdias – Cyclops X1
Gigabyte – XP-M
Green – Overclocking EVO
High Power – Super GD
Kingwin – Stryker
Kolink – Continuum C-PL
Micronics – Astro Platinum
NZXT – C-series
Raidmax – Monster RX-AT
Riotoro – Builder 1200w
Sama – Forza Titanium
SilentiumPC – Supremo FM2
Silverstone – Platinum PT
Super Flower – Leadex III ARGB
Thermaltake – Toughpower GF1
Xigmatek – Hera Gold
XFX – XTR
Zalman – Acrux Platinum
A Tier
The A Tier PSUs falls under affordable range but will fetch moderate cost. However, the A Tier PSUs won’t overkill even when overclocking the CPU and GPU unlike S-Tier. The PSUs in this tier are oriented for tech enthusiasts and it generates excessive power, which is not required for the system. It’s not advisable to buy an A-Tier PSU for a budget PC as it can’t completely leverage the capabilities of the PSU.
We recommend additional investment in CPU, GPU, RAM, storage including SSD instead of opting for a premium PSU, which can’t serve any purpose. You should opt for PSUs from manufacturers like Thermaltake and Deepcool. The majority of models are rated 80+ Gold in the A-Tier PSU list. The main benefit of A-Tier and S-Tier PSUs is that manufacturers provide extended warranties. The companies like Deepcool, Corsair and others provide 10-year warranty for the premium products and hence it’s worth to purchase for your computing requirements.
1st Player – Steampunk Gold
Abkoncore – Tenergy Gold X50W
Andyson – H6
Antec – Earthwatts Pro Gold
BeQuiet! – Pure Power 11
Chieftec – Polaris
Cooler Master – MWE Gold
Corsair – TXM 2017
Cougar – GX-S 2017
Delta – GPS-FB
Enermax – Platimax
EVGA – Supernova B3
FSP – Dagger
Gigabyte – AP-GM
Great Wall / Hunters – Titan TF
High Power – GD-F V2 HPM
Skydigital – Power Station 5 Gold
Super Flower – Golden Green
Thermaltake – Toughpower DPS G RGB
Vivo – 24K
Xigmatek – Minotaur
Xilence – Performance X
Zalman – Platinum
B Tier
The B Tier PSUs are the best choice for PC builds because of the budget-friendly price and consistent quality. Even though the B Tier PSUs may not be suitable for overclocking CPUs/GPUs, they will be ideal if you are on a lookout for an affordable and reliable power supply solution. The best idea is to opt for a PSU manufactured by a reliable company. There are low-cost PSUs from less known companies but they harm the internal components. You can purchase B Tier PSUs from a reliable company and it will not only last long but also keeps the internal components safe.
Abkoncore – Tenergy Bronze
ADX – Power W Gold
Aerocool – KCAS
Andyson – BX
Antec – High Current Gamer Bronze
Apevia – Prestige
BR ONE – Rainbow
BeQuiet! – Power Zone
Chieftec – Silicon SLC-C
Coba – NitroX Nobility
Cooler Master – Masterwatt
Deepcool – Quanta DQ
Enermax – Revolution X’t II
Fractal Design – Integra M
In Win – Classic C
IPPON – Platinum
iTek – Taurus GF
SilentiumPC – Vero M3
Silverstone – Strider Gold ST
Skydigital – Validus LP
Super Flower – Leadex Silver / Golden King
Thermaltake – Toughpower Gold Semi-Modular
Thermaltake – Toughpower Grand RGB Platinum
ThunderX3 – Plexus
C Tier
The C Tier PSUs are less efficient than the previously discussed tiers. The PSUs are rated either 80 Plus Bronze or Silver, which means the power supply units are 80% efficient during load. A reliable bronze or silver rated PSUs with 500W, 600W or 700W will be capable of handling powerful GPU such as an RTX 3070 or RX 6800. You will find several solid PSUs in this tier. You should note that there are several PSUs on the market with misleading advertising on ratings.
Abko / Suitmaster – Mighty
Aerocool – KCAS M
Andyson – M5+
Antec – Earthwatts Platinum
Apexgaming – AG
BeQuiet! – Pure Power 10
Cooler Master – MWE V2 Bronze
Cougar – VTX
Corsair – Builder CXM
Deepcool – DA-N
Enermax – Platimax 600
EVGA – Supernova NEX-G
Kolink – SFX
LC Power – GP3 Silver
Micronics – Caslon II
NOX – Urano TX Green Power
Powerspec – PS-BF
OCZ – ModXStream Pro
Rosewill – TFX Gold
Sharkoon – WPC Bronze
Silverstone – Strider Essential ET-B
Superflower – Mega
Thermaltake – DPS G Bronze
Zalman – GVM
D Tier
The D Tier PSUs are for those users who are low in budget and should not be used for gaming purposes. The PSUs in this tier will work with a high-end processor or a dedicated GPU. However, they are not recommended for advanced computer configurations. You can use it if you intend to use the PC for basic computing tasks such as web browsing, Microsoft Office and etc. This is because minor power fluctuations could harm the internal hardware.
Aerocool – Aero White
BeQuiet! – Pure Power L9
Bitfenix – BPA
Chieftec – APB-8B
Cooler Master – Masterwatt Lite
Cougar – CMX v2
CWT -GPK-S
Deepcool – DN
EVGA – Supernova NEX-B
Enermax – NaXn 82+
FSP – 60GHS
Fractal Design – Integra R2
Gamdias – Astrape M1 White
High Power – Simplicity ST HPG-T12S
Hiper – HPB-SM
Kolink – Core
LC Power – Silent Giant GP3 Bronze
LDLC – BG
Modecom -Volcano Bronze
NOX – Hummer X Bronze
Raidmax – Thunder V2 RX-AP
Rosewill – Hive S
Silverstone – SX-LPT
Skydigital – Power Station 5 80+
Tacens – Radix VII
Thermaltake – RX Bronze
Vinga -VPS-B
XFX – ProSeries Bronze
F Tier
F Tier is the absolute bottom of the PSU product hierarchy. If you purchase a PSU with F Tier rating, then your system is liable to potential risk. The PC could malfunction and short circuit can attack your motherboard and other internal components like SSD and DVD drive. Even though you will face problems with any power supply unit, the premium PSUs are equipped with adequate layers of protection against adverse conditions. Moreover, reputed companies like Cooler Master, Thermaltake and Deepcool provide assured warranty including free replacement services. Hence, you should not opt for F Tier PSUs.
BR ONE – BR-X
Chieftec – Non-rated units
Corsair – VS 2012 orange
Cooler Master – Realpower
Diablotek – All units
EVGA – N1
LC Power – Non-rated units
Linkworld – All units
Logisys – All units
MS-Tech – All units
Raidmax – Non-rated units
Rasurbo – All units
Rhomburtech – All units
Sempre – All units
Speedlink – All units
Tacens – All units
Trust – All units
Ultron – All units
Conclusion
The Power Supply Unit (PSU) is a crucial hardware component, which is required for the proper functioning of the computer. In case of Laptop, you need not have to worry because all the components are concealed below the keyboard. However, you have to allocate sufficient investment for a high-quality PSU if you work with desktop PC. This is because the internal components like Hard drive, SSD, Motherboard, CPU, Coolers, DVD drive and much more are powered via the power supply unit. Hence, the PSU should be manufactured by a reputed company because they make use of premium materials, copper wires and other components.
You should purchase PSUs manufactured by Cooler Master, Deepcool and Thermaltake because these are credible companies that you can depend upon. Like all technology products, power supply units continue to evolve rapidly and their rankings change constantly. The power supply units are not only reliable but also long-lasting and affordable. The main point to note is that you should select a PSU manufactured by a popular company. A small initial investment will go a long way in protecting your valuable internal components of your PC.
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